Ledger-index.



No. 695,226. I Patented Mar. ll, I902.

S. MCMILLEN.

LEDGER INDEX.

(Application filed May 21. 1901.)

lNvENT R S MUEL MOMILLEN Hvs ATTORNEYS TH: uonms l nens cu.PHOTO-LXTNO., msumsron. n. c.

NIIlE rates ATENT rFicE.

SAMUEL MOMILLEN, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

LEDGER-INDEX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 695,226, dated March11, 1902.

Application filed May 21, 1901. Serial No. 61,234. (No modelJ To aZZwhmn it may concern Be it known that I, SAMUEL MOMILLEN, of

The invention relates to an improved system of indexing for ledgers.

In aledger-index as usually made the names are placed in regularvertical columns under the second or third letter of the name, theinitial letter being on the tab. In large sets of books there arefrequently several pages of names, and as many of them have the samesecond or third letter it often happens that the bookkeeper is compelledto look through a column running over several pages to find the nameunder which a certain account is indexed.

The object of the invention is to provide a system of indexing underwhich the names will be irregularly arranged and the book keeper Will beable to quickly locate any name on an index-page, and hence be able toreadily turn to any account.

The invention consists generally in a page having a tab bearing theinitial letter, said page being provided with a series of verticalcolumns and a horizontal row'of letters arranged in groups in saidcolumns at the top of the page, said groups representing combinations oftwo or more successive letters following the tab letter or letters of aname under which an account is indexed.

Further, the invention consists in various constructions andcombinations, all as hereinafter described, and particularly pointed outin the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure1 is a plan view of a ledger-index page, illustrating my invention. Fig.2 is asimilar View of another page of the index.

In the drawings, 2 represents the indexpage having at its inner edge aflexible binding-strip 3, provided with eyelets at, permittingthe leafto be loosely bound in book form. On the opposite edge of the leaf nearthe top thereof is the usual tab 5, upon which the initial letter of aname is placed. I also prefer to place in smaller type on said tab theletter following the initial letter of the name.

On this tab I have shown two letters I and O, the leaf to which the tabis attached being appropriated for names Whose second letters correspondthereto. Each page of the leaf is divided by horizontal lines 6 into aseries of rows 7, wherein the names are written, and these lines arecrossed at right angles by substantially vertical lines 8, formingvertical columns 9. In thesquares orspaces formed by the intersection ofthe lines 7and 8 I provide combinations ofletters corresponding to twoor more successive letters following the initial letter of the tab.These combinations are such as are usually found in the names ofindividuals, firms, or business houses with which it maybe necessary inthe course ofbnsiness to open a ledger account. Forinstance, at theleft-hand side of the page I have provided combinations-such as ib, id,ie, ig, &c.being the second and third letters of the several names, thefirst orinitial letter being represented by the one on the tab.

In Fig. 1, as heretofore stated, I have shown a page appropriated fornames having I and O for the second letter. Hence I have divided thepage,appropriating the right hand for the names whose letter is 0 Aswill be noted by an examination of the figure, the names are, owing tothe manner of indexing,

irregularly arranged on the page, so that a bookkeeper wishing to lookup an account can readily locate the name in the index, although theremay be several pages under the tab-letter. For instance, should hedesire to look up the account of "the Livingstone Advertising Company hewill turn to the page whose tab bears the letter L, and then, beginningat the top of the columns containing the letters IV corresponding withthe sec= 0nd and third letters of the name he is looking for, willfollowdown said column and be able almost immediately to locate the name onthe page. Having found the page, it is of course a simple matter todetermine the page of the ledger where the account is to be found. Thesecond letters of the name, which I prefer to place on the tab with theinitial letter, will correspond in all cases to the first letter ofthe'combinations at the top of the page,

and these second letters will indicate that the names whose secondletters correspond to the alphabet letters between the letters on thetab will also be found on the tab-page or those following it. v

In Fig. 2 I have shown the M tab-page having the second letter a, thepage being entirely appropriated for names whose second letter is a. Inindexing a ledger many names will be found beginning with Sch, and theseletters will be placed on the tab, while the combinations of the fourthand fifth letters of the names will be placed in the vertical columns.It will also be found in indexing that many names begin with St, inwhich case I prefer to make combinations of the second and third lettersof the names. I am not, therefore, confined in my combinations to thesecond and third letters of the names, as it will be found convenient toindex a great many names under the third and fourth or the fourth andfifth letters. As the pages will be ruled in exactly the same way andthe combinations arranged in a corresponding manner to those which Ihave shown in the drawings, I have not thought it necessary'toillustrate pages showing combinations of the third and fourth or fourthand fifth letters.

I have shown the invention applied to the pages of what is known as aloose-leaf ledger-index; but obviouly the same system of indexing may beused in connection with a bound index.

As shown in Fig. 2, I prefer to appropriate several leaves for namessuch as those beginning with M and provide tabs thereon bearing theindex-letter and one or more vowels, as Me, Mio, and soon through thevowels, the number of pages used depending upon the probablecombinations required to index the names whose initial lettercorresponds with the primary letter on the tab. Where the invention isemployed in connection with a loose-leaf index, the bookkeeper mayinsert new pages as the others become filled and remove any of the pageswhereon accounts are indexed that have been closed or balanced.

The principal advantage of my improved system of indexing lies in thefact that the bookkeeper, having the initial or index letter and thesecond letter of a name before him on the tab, can open the index to anygroup of leaves where the name will be found under which the desiredaccount is indexed. Then finding the combination of letterscorresponding to those of the name sought'he can follow down the column,although it may extend several pages, and very quickly locate the name.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. Aledger-index, consisting of a page having atabbearing theinitial letter of the names, said page being provided witha series of vertical columns and a horizontal row of letters arranged ingroups in said columns at the top of the page, each of said groupsrepresenting a combination of two or more successive letters followingthe tab letter or letters of the name under which an account is indexed.

2. A ledger-index consisting of a page having a tab bearing a letterwhich corresponds to the initial letter of the names placed on the page,a series of vertical columns provided on said page, and a horizontal rowof letters arranged in groups in said columns, there being but one groupin each column, said groups representing combinations of the second andthird letters of the name under which an account is indexed, whereby thenames when written on'the page under the combinations correspondingrespectively to their second and third letters will be irregularlyarranged, for the purpose specified.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 17th day of May,1901.

SAMUEL MGMILLEN.

In presence of- RICHARD PAUL, M. O. NOONAN.

